Birth of the Libertador (Bolivar Day) Venezuela
Children’s Day Vanuatu
Fiesta de Santiago Peru
Jose Barbosa Day Puerto Rico
Simon Bolivar Day Ecuador
Pioneer Day (Utah) United States of America
Stress Down Day http://www.lifelinehunter.org.au/online-store/2015-lifeline-stress-down-day
National Pain Week http://www.nationalpainweek.org.au/
Tell An Old Joke Day https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/tell-an-old-joke-day/
Cousins Day https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/cousins-day/
More about Jul 24 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/July_24
Climate Change
Self-evident – and still inconvenient – truths on climate change.
Robert C. Walter, Dorothy J. Merritts Philadelphia Daily News
When framers of the Declaration of Independence outlined those famous truths they believed self-evident, we can imagine they unanimously agreed that logic, wisdom, and knowledge are unassailable, rooted — as they wrote — in the “laws of nature and of nature’s god.”
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/2460133000469002490
The truth is out on climate fear
Rowan Dean
RELAX. It turns out all the scaremongering about climate change and coastal regions facing inundation is actually based on ‘minuscule’ sea-level rises
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/opinion/opinion-climate-change-scaremongering-based-on-minuscule-sea-level-rises/news-story/db74db4ed916828a5f9837158e5f88f7
National
Irrigators pumping taxpayer-purchased water intended for Murray-Darling Basin
Billions of litres of water purchased by taxpayers to save Australia’s inland rivers is instead being harvested by some irrigators to boost cotton-growing operations, in a policy failure that threatens to undermine the $13 billion Murray-Darling Basin Plan.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-24/murray-darling-basin-water-pumped-by-irrigators/8732702
Australia seeks to extend commercial fishing in protected waters.
Australia plans to allow fishing across 80 percent of its protected maritime sanctuaries, the government said on Friday in a proposal that would vastly extend commercial activity in the world’s largest marine-reserves network.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/21/world/australia/commercial-fishing-coral-sea-reserve.html?smid=tw-nytimesscience&smtyp=cur
Government to formally assess likelihood of 2018 domestic gas shortfall
The Turnbull government will take the first steps on Monday to formally determine whether it will impose export controls on LNG, when Resources Minister Matt Canavan gives notice that he will assess whether there will be a domestic gas shortfall in 2018.
http://www.afr.com/business/energy/gas/government-to-formally-assess-likelihood-of-2018-domestic-gas-shortfall-20170723-gxgxwc
Josh Frydenberg and Labor’s Mark Butler are peas in an energy pod
Ben Potter
If it were down to Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg and his Labor shadow Mark Butler, the impasse over energy policy would be resolved very easily.
http://www.afr.com/news/josh-frydenberg-and-labors-mark-butler-are-peas-in-an-energy-pod-20170722-gxgrpl
Victoria
No plans for second Victorian desal plant
Victoria does not need a second desalination plant, says the state’s premier, despite a report Melbourne could face chronic water shortages in 10 years
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/no-plans-for-second-victorian-desal-plant/news-story/86fe0b00504bd37d9bab9423d3e2a995
Melbourne recycling fire extinguished
A blaze at a Melbourne recycling plant has finally been extinguished with the Metropolitan Fire Brigade declaring it “safe”.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/melbourne-recycling-fire-extinguished/news-story/d98320b0833a920b0062afc278ed3dbe
Melbourne Metro Rail Tunnel project to create 7,000 jobs: Premier
Melbourne’s Metro Rail Tunnel project will create almost 7,000 jobs, including hundreds for apprentices and trainees, in what Premier Daniel Andrews calls a “profound investment in skills” for Victoria.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-23/melbourne-metro-rail-tunnel-project-to-create-7000-jobs/8735520
New South Wales
Shark a good sign for Sydney river health
A 150-KILOGRAM mako shark hooked by a fisherman in a Sydney river proves the harbour and its rivers are in good health, a marine expert says
http://www.ntnews.com.au/lifestyle/fishing/shark-a-good-sign-for-sydney-river-health/news-story/21b5354f64c093b4ee6400ca42d160f1
ACT
Val Jeffery’s legacy is the need for eternal vigilance
Canberrra Times editorial
Jeffery was a warhorse for Tharwa and a campaigner for common-sense bushfire management.
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/comment/ct-editorial/val-jefferys-legacy-is-need-for-eternal-vigilance-against-threat-of-bushfires-20170721-gxfuhy.html
Queensland
Megamine owners show off ‘real Adani’
ADANI will spend almost $1.5 million trying to dispel the myths that have developed around its $21 billion coal project in central Queensland.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/business/this-is-adani-megamine-owner-releases-new-advertisement/news-story/7bea91769db3c30382bda5f9fddcb07d
Dredge to suburb plan
DREDGING supporters have dusted off calls for East Trinity to be transformed into a new residential suburb built atop huge amounts spoil scooped from the bed of Trinity Inlet.
http://www.cairnspost.com.au/news/cairns/matt-canavan-takes-chopper-over-port-amid-calls-for-new-dredge-suburb/news-story/bd76e30ef8654401049d7566861ca0eb
ACCC to hold first public hearing into power prices in Brisbane on Tuesday
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/accc-to-hold-first-public-hearing-into-power-prices-in-brisbane-on-tuesday-20170723-gxgztb.html
South Australia
Tasmanian tigers once roamed Kangaroo Island, fossil footprints reveal
Rare fossilised footprints of Tasmanian tigers and devils, as well as those of giant megafauna and flightless birds, are uncovered by scientists on Kangaroo Island, south of Adelaide.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-23/kangaroo-island-fossil-footprints-reveal-ancient-wildlife/8735572
SA’s energy revolution – what it means for Australia
John Grimes
The SA Government recently announced its partnership with Tesla to build the world’s largest lithium-ion …
http://www.examiner.com.au/story/4803957/sas-energy-revolution-what-it-means-for-australia/?cs=97
Tasmania
Mountain bike tourism splits Tasmania’s east coast community
Another jobs versus environment battle looms in Tasmania, this time over the impact of a $4.5 million mountain bike trail network on the east coast.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-23/mountain-bike-trail-divides-east-coast-community/8734374
Cable car polls strongly
A MAJORITY of Tasmanians support a cable car to kunanyi/Mt Wellington, exclusive polling reveals.
http://www.themercury.com.au/news/tasmania/a-majority-of-tasmanians-support-cable-car-exclusive-poll/news-story/4d483db5b2df98bc20a7ad0b9a431631
TasWater takeover legislation revealed
A new water and sewerage government business enterprise will be created under new draft legislation.
http://www.examiner.com.au/story/4806774/taswater-takeover-legislation-revealed/?cs=5312
Northern Territory
Harbour Clean-Up crucial for our waterways
THIS week more than 150 volunteers participated in the eighth annual Darwin Harbour Clean-Up
http://www.ntnews.com.au/lifestyle/fishing/harbour-cleanup-crucial-for-our-waterways/news-story/b1b9fa9dcfbf28294816f43b3385273c
Jabiru: the Kakadu mining town facing closure seeks a fresh start
The town of 1,000 people is supposed to disappear as the Ranger uranium mine closes, but locals want to give it a new future as a tourism hub
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/jul/24/jabiru-kakadu-mining-town-facing-closure-seeks-fresh-start
Sustainability
China’s Belt and Road Initiative could redraw the map on global trade
China is working to develop a vast network of railways and ports dubbed the “Belt and Road Initiative” (BRI). That includes the “Silk Road Economic Belt” over land and the “21st Century Maritime Silk Road” which is a series of ports and railways.
http://www.news.com.au/finance/economy/world-economy/chinas-belt-and-road-initiative-could-redraw-the-map-on-global-trade/news-story/eb752b6332e24ea219e36d0f16742463
A whopping 91% of plastic isn’t recycled.
Billions of tons of plastic have been made over the past decades, and much of it is becoming trash and litter, finds the first analysis of the issue.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/2460133000469002969
Microbeads ban: UK government to outlaw microplastics in cosmetic products.
Any kind of ‘rinse-off’ personal care and cosmetic products are affected, but not ‘leave-on’ make-up or sunscreen after industry complaints about the cost.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/-3246038150322365843
The coal disillusion in Asia.
India, adding 8.8GW in new solar capacity this year, will overtake Japan as the third largest solar market worldwide after China and the US
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/-3246038150322365343
Linear parks and the drive to ease congestion
If building new roads and fast traffic lanes does not cut traffic, can it work the other way round?
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jul/23/linear-parks-and-the-drive-to-ease-congestion-world-pollutionwatch
Should a healthy environment be a human right?
Nichilas F. Stump Huntington Herald-Dispatch
Do we have a fundamental right to breathe clean air, drink clean water and eat safe food? The idea of environmental human rights is receiving growing attention worldwide, driven by our global ecological crisis. But the United States has lagged behind in codifying these rights into laws and in successfully furthering them
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/-3246038150322365337
Nature Conservation
A healthy ocean needs viruses.
The word virus conjures up hard-to-shake colds and swine flu, but these tiny microbes are far more than just the culprits behind annoying human ailments. They play an integral role in life on the planet, and a new study has shown that for marine viruses, that role is more complex than we thought.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/2460133000469002483
Trump administration seeks to sidestep border wall environmental study: sources.
The U.S. Customs and Border Patrol plans to use a 2005 anti-terror law to sidestep an environmental impact study for a section of President Donald Trump’s border wall that will pass through a Texas national refuge for endangered ocelots, according to two government sources familiar with the matter.
http://www.dailyclimate.org/t/2460133000469002479
Mexico launches pioneering scheme to insure its coral reef
Hotels and local government in Cancún will pay premiums, and insurance industry will pay out if the reef is damaged by storms
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jul/20/mexico-launches-pioneering-scheme-to-insure-its-coral-reef
Maelor Himbury